I am a new ham, licensed this year (general). Wayne obviously has the design perspective re: KX3 but I wanted to talk about my experience. I'm in IT, and an engineer, so I research anything I am looking at purchasing quite heavily prior to purchase. I won't talk about why my research lead me to purchase a KX3 (and then a KXPA100, and PX3) - but I will talk about what I've found from using it, and using other people's radios.
1) Intuitive controls, menus, and logic. I can't state this one strongly enough. After having used friend's Yaesu, Icom, and even Kenwood radios, the Elecraft just makes sense. It took me minutes to get up and running with the KX3 and talking with folks SSB, as well as using digital modes. There were a few things I had to look up in the manual (when I encountered a station running split, for example) but 90% of what I've encountered I've been able to figure out without needing to reference the manual. I can't say the same for the other brand radios I've used. There's nothing wrong with those other radios, but the Elecraft just makes sense. I've had friends ask to use my KX3 as they were interested in it, and the same held true. They were able to perform most operations with little guidance, because it just makes sense. 2) Receive ability I've A/B compared my KX3 with a lot of other radios on the same antennas, and I've yet to find one that outperforms the KX3 - and I've run it against plenty of non-portable setups. I'm sure some exist, but I haven't encountered them, and I know of nothing portable that will touch the KX3 in receive capability. I live in a location with an HOA so my antenna situation is heavily compromised. Having the ability to pull signals out from noise is the difference between being on the air and not being on the air. I live next door to an air force base. I still routinely talk to people all over the US, Canada, South America, and beyond with a wire antenna that's 5' off the ground (fence-line loop fed with 450ohm window line). Sure, plenty of QRM to go around, especially when the AFB kicks off whatever radar/etc that pollutes 20m/40m/80m/etc - but I can still receive. I've had 857s over here who were unable to copy conversations, then swapped to the KX3 and while not ideal, I could get a a 100% copy. 3) Portability I camp a LOT. I can't speak highly enough about the portability of the KX3. I have 4 4200mAh LiFE batteries that I rotate through, but I've rarely had to use more than two on week long trips. I use an EFHW antenna I made tossed into trees or hung from a crappie fishing pole. Even at maximum power output on SSB, I get a huge amount of runtime out of the KX3. Only once have I had to move to the second battery on a week long camping trip, and I was very active on digital modes for that trip. I haven't done a recent measurement, but I was ~ 100-150mA draw before I got my PX3 in receive. That's 28 hours on one of those batteries (they actually are 4200-4500 mAh of capacity when tested, so could probably do an hour or two more). 4) Quality These radios are solid. I've added a Side KX to my KX3/PX3 just because they get chucked into camping backpacks quite often, but these radios are made to last. Everything fits well, everything has a very solid feel. Parts like the LCD cover (I think it's termed a screen bezel by Elecraft) are replaceable; these units were engineered to survive use and even if you manage to goof up, you can get another one and you're set. Little touches like this don't seem important until you need them. 5) Customer support I can not speak highly enough about this. I've called Elecraft for a few things since I've purchased their radio, and they have been amazingly helpful. My most recent call was asking about using the PX3 signal generator as a source for doing the temperature compensation procedure with the KX3 (don't do it!) I've always received extremely helpful advice, and had quite wonderful conversations. I've learned a lot just from those interactions, as the people at Elecraft truly do care about the hobby, and want to help out when they can. I spoke with Elecraft before I was an owner, and the information I received was not only very helpful and thorough, but it went far beyond just their product line. It's obvious this is a company that cares about amateur radio, and wants potential hobbyists to join in. I probably wouldn't be on the air at this point if it hadn't been for the helpful people at Elecraft talking to me about the ins/outs, and sharing their experiences. I hope that helps in your decision making. There are far more bullet points that I could add, but I don't want to overwhelm someone seeking to join the club. In my honest opinion, you'd be hard pressed to find a better route to go as a new ham. I'm a buy once, cry once kind of person - and the KX3 is a great way to go. If I'd purchased something else, I'd have upgraded by now based on my experience with other radios I've been around. I have 0 desire to move away from my KX3, and I've already had a few friends convert to one. David/K5DJO On Tue, Dec 2, 2014 at 6:53 PM, Wayne Burdick <n...@elecraft.com> wrote: > Interesting thread. The dust appears to be settling, so I thought I'd > weigh in. Whether I'm biased or not is left as a study question for the > reader ;) > > We designed the KX3 specifically for new hams. Here are some > considerations: > > - The KX3's size and weight allows it to be used anywhere, and powered > from a small battery or power supply, even its internal battery pack. This > means you don't have to evict anyone from precious desk or table > real-estate as you dabble in your new hobby. At least not right away. You > can move around, maybe use a corner of the garage, or an RV, or a picnic > table. This is why we call it "ultraportable." > > - The KX3 has about half as many controls as the K3 and other > full-featured desktop radios. We kept only the essentials. And you don't > need to use all of the rig's features. You can start with the basics -- > VFO, AF GAIN, MODE, BAND up and down. The default settings of the radio > pretty much just work. Set the power level you want and start tuning around. > > - The owner's manual is written with new hams in mind, with supplemental > information about antennas, operating modes, and the nature of the > different HF bands. We don't go into a huge amount of detail, but it's > enough to get you started, and you already have a few thousand friends on > the Elecraft and KX3 reflectors if you want to dive into deeper waters. The > manual is organized so that basic operation is covered right up front. As > time permits, you can try each more advanced feature. > > - At 12 W (8 to 10 on the highest few bands), the KX3's power output is > only 9 dB below 100 W. Thanks to the beauty of logarithmic phenomena, > that's only 1.5 to 2.5 S-units depending on whose S-meter standard you're > basing it on. (We use roughly a 5-dB-per-S-unit standard at Elecraft.) Yes, > it can be harder to work stations using SSB mode when you're two S-units > down, but if you avoid pileups and stick with calling stations that are > well above the noise level, you'll have no trouble making SSB contacts. > > - The KX3's wide-range ATU can greatly simplify the process of erecting > antennas for all bands. Here's the simplest case: One piece of wire about > 25 feet long, tossed into a tree, and a similar wire laid on the ground, > can be connected directly to the radio with a BNC-to-binding post adapter > (no coax). The ATU can tune this on 40-6 meters. If the wires are 50 feet > long, you can also cover 60 and 80 meters. That's 80-6 meters with two > wires, no coax, and a support provided free by nature (or your neighbors). > Obviously you can improve on this to better your odds, say by using an > off-center-fed wire of 50 to 100 feet long supported in the middle by a 20 > to 40 foot pole or tree and fed with twinlead or ladder line. A balun (e.g. > Elecraft BL2) would then be used at the rig to convert this sortof-balanced > antenna to the radio, through a short length of coax (1 to 2 feet). > > - Hams who are transitioning from VHF/UHF to HF might want to add the > 2-meter module (3 watts, all modes, including repeater controls, DTMF, > memories, etc.). When you get tired of exploring the vast wilds of the HF > bands, you can return to the familiarity of 2-m FM, etc., and chat with the > locals. > > 73, > Wayne > N6KR > > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to orma...@corenode.com > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
